Being tough, not giving up, coming back time and time again.
Te·nac·i·ty
Being tough
the ability to hold fast; characterized by keeping a firm hold: a tenacious grip on my arm; tenacious of old habits.
highly retentive: a tenacious memory.
persistent, stubborn, or obstinate. Will not give up. Comes back time and time again.
Tenacity is having the strength of mind and spirit to stick to one’s purpose. This is closely linked with discipline. Tenacity is the quality that enables one to follow through on goals and be slow or unwilling to give up on them.
Invictus
By William Ernest Henley
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
Be Tenacious!
I have worked with many successful people; people who have achieved the kinds of lives they have dreamed about. I have also worked with many people who are not anywhere near where they want to be in life. Many times those who are not successful resent those who are and believe that somehow success was handed to those who have achieved much.
What I have found however is that actually the reverse is true. Those who have achieved much have worked much HARDER than those who are not successful. You wouldn’t believe the stories of struggle that I hear from those who now appear to be on “top of the heap.” Yes, they are successful, but no, it wasn’t handed to them! And I find that most of the unsuccessful people who come to me actually haven’t been tenacious at all. I find that with many of the people I speak to who complain about their lack of success simply have not persevered and have not been tenacious. When I ask them questions I usually get excuses. Yes, there are exceptions on both sides, but I find this to be almost universally true.
If you are one who finds yourself dreaming of a better life, or looking at someone who “has it made,” I would ask you to take a long, deep look inward and at your life to find whether or not you have actually been tenacious in pursuit of your dreams. How long have you gone for it? Many people who achieve much go for YEARS before they achieve what their hearts long for? How hard have you gone for it? Most people who achieve much have given up much. They have sacrificed much. They strive valiantly for what it is that resides deep in their dreams. They just plain ol’ work hard!
So what are the principles of tenacity? What do you need to know in order to take your turn at the tenacious? Here are some thoughts to start your fire and get you going!
1. Sometimes you just have to outlast the others.
I have found that many people start on their dreams but most never finish. Then those who stop resent those who make it. The truth is that most people who become successful have simply mastered the art of keeping on keeping on! I myself can remember early on in my career when I would get discouraged and I literally said to myself, “One more week. Just give it one more week.” Quite frankly, this is what got me through a couple of years of my work early on. I hung on as others let go.
It is easy to get disheartened. Ask those who have achieved success if they ever got disheartened and you will find some of the most amazing stories you have ever heard. Give it a try: Go to the most successful person you know and ask them if they ever thought about quitting. Ask them how they kept on going. You will be amazed at what you hear.
2. Sometimes you just have to hold on at the end.
I wonder how many people have quit just as they would have begun their entrance into success? Sure there are many who quit at the first sign of hard work, but what about those who, after the tenth time of trial then give up, just as fate would have seen them go through one last hurdle and then into the promised land? How many people were on their last hurdle and decided not to jump? How many people had just one more mountain pass to go? Or just one more river to cross?
Of course we will never know, but certainly some of the people who quit are doing so on what would have been their last trial, right?
So what does this mean for you? For me it means I do not quit because I would hate to find out later that all I needed was just one last effort and I would have achieved my goal. What if it isn’t my last trial? That’s okay because as long as I keep going, eventually I will get to my last trial, I will overcome it, and I will enter the Winner’s Circle.
3. Sometimes the most beautiful results come from dull things under pressure.
If coal wasn’t an inanimate object it would certainly scream, “Stop! I want out!” But that coal, when facing incredible pressure, is turned into one of earth’s most precious possessions. Ugly, dirty old coal is transformed into beautiful diamonds.
Instead of looking at pressure and trials as the reason to quit, get tenacious and see them as the very thing that will make your life the beautiful thing that you desire it to be. See it as your opportunity to learn, to grow, and to be transformed. See these trials as the very things that will enable you to have the life that you dream of!
Trials will surely come. Life will get hard. You will want to quit.
Then you will have a choice: Will you give up? Or will you take your turn at tenacious. The choice you make will determine much of the rest of your life.
Videos about tenacity:
Examples of Tenacity
In 1962, four nervous young musicians played their first record audition for the executives of the Decca recording Company. The executives were not impressed. While turning down this group of musicians, one executive said, “We don’t like their sound. Groups of guitars are on the way out.” The group was called The Beatles.
In 1954, Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry, fired a singer after one performance. He told him, “You ain’t goin’ nowhere …. son. You ought to go back to drivin’ a truck.” He went on to become the most popular singer in America: Elvis Presley.
When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, it did not ring off the hook with calls from potential backers. After making a demonstration call, President Rutherford Hayes said, ”That’s an amazing invention, but who would ever want to use one of them?”
When Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, he tried over 2000 experiments before he got it to work. A young reporter asked him how it felt to fail so many times. He said, “I never failed once. I invented the light bulb. It just happened to be a 2000-step process.”
In the 1940s, another young inventor named Chester Carlson took his idea to 20 corporations, including some of the biggest in the country. They all turned him down. In 1947 – after seven long years of rejections, he finally got a tiny company in Rochester, New York, the Haloid Company, to purchase the rights to his invention and process. Haloid became the ‘Xerox Corporation’ we know today.
She was the 20th of 22 children. She was born prematurely and her survival was doubtful. When she was 4 years old, she contacted double pneumonia and scarlet fever, which left her with a paralyzed left leg. At age 9, she removed the metal leg brace she had been dependent on and began to walk without it. By 13 she had developed a rhythmic walk, which doctors said was a miracle. That same year she decided to become a runner. She entered a race and came in last. For the next few years every race she entered, she came in last. Everyone told her to quit, but she kept on running. One day she actually won a race. And then another. From then on she won every race she entered. Eventually this little girl, who was told she would never walk again, went on to win three Olympic gold medals!!! She was Wilma Rudolph!!
Don’t give up, be tenacious.
How often do we start moving in one direction, face opposition and then quit? You had a great idea, you had tremendous passion, but once the real work came, you wore yourself out! It happens all the time to even the strongest willed people. They give up right before the good stuff is about to happen.
I have a good friend of mine who jumps from idea to idea trying to become rich quick. He wants the fastest path to riches. He gets all excited about his latest idea but as soon as it becomes work, he stops, and looks for “a better way”. This is a sure-fire way to fail… You have to constantly water your seeds! You have to prepare and work your fields for the seeds to take, to grow strong roots, and produce crops. You can’t just go around scattering seeds hoping something will grow. Farmers don’t operate businesses that way, why would you expect your finances or business ideas to work any differently.
I have heard that to become “an overnight success” it takes at least two years! (not two monthes)You grind it out, put blood, sweat, and tears in to it, and then just maybe it may lead to something worthwhile. But quitting? It’s not an option! Too often people quit right before their big break was about to take place. They miss the blessings that were in store right around the corner……
What if Columbus had not been tenacious?
Think about this: Christopher Columbus two days before he sighted land had a crew that was fed up, sick, and desperately wanted to turn back.
On October 10, 1492, Columbus’ journal read:
“Our crew can stand it no longer and are complaining about the long voyage; I have cheered them up as best I can, holding out good hope of the advantages should we succeed. It is useless to complain. We are in search of the Indies, and will continue until we find them, with the help of our Lord.”
We know what happened two days later: They found America!
- What have you given up on?
- What dream have you left behind?
- What is holding you back from the success in store for you?
- I bet you know exactly what it is, but the real question is what are you going to do about it?
Christopher Columbus didn’t give up and two days later discovered America. What waits for you as your reward for not giving up?
Don’t Settle For the Low Hanging Fruit!
You can survive by giving up and always eating the low hanging fruit.
You can survive, but never THRIVE when you feed on the over ripened fruit lying on the ground or the ones on the lower limbs! You know what I mean…but why settle for anything less than what is hanging at the top of the tree. Don’t quit. Be tenacious. Reach up there for that high hanging fruit!
At times when it’s a struggle to reach the high fruit, the ones that seem to be out of reach. We may be tempted to “settle” for the easy to reach fruit. Because we are hungry…hungry to say we have accomplished something or have finished a task, we want to look for the easy and fast finish. But usually that’s a cop-out and…
An excuse to quit because it’s hard!
Please! Don’t stop short, when the true gifts may be just over the next horizon. There is a difference between quitting something after a long period of time and you have literally beat it to death. And just being tired and feeling defeated and you just want to stop… so the pain or disappointment will cease! Being tired and feeling defeated are the electronic homing devices to let you know that you are getting “warmer” to success.
Press on!
◦Remember your calling. Remember the passion of what started this mission in the first place.
◦Find a friend or confidant and let them breath fresh life into your vision!
◦Stop listening to the “naysayers’.
Whatever you do… Don’t give up and settle for that low hanging fruit ! You deserve better.
Be tenacious!
The Tenacity of Wildflowers
By: Susan Gabriel
Sometimes we can feel like we are just surviving, not thriving. Like we live in an inhospitable environment that almost seems to delight in thwarting our efforts to thrive. Let me share a quick story about the tenacity of wildflowers and what we can learn from them.
The Rocky Mountains are called the backbone of the country. They arch their peaks over 14,000 feet into the air. Trail Ridge Road traverses this exquisite landscape. It is the highest paved road in the United States, with more than eight miles lying above 11,000 feet and a maximum elevation of 12,183 feet. At its highest, the air is thin and fresh and the scenery is literally jaw dropping. This magical place defies superlatives.
The road is open from June to September. Last winter this area received twenty-three feet of snow, with drifts up to thirty feet. It took six weeks of plowing the snow before the road could open. But even in summer this road can be an adventure. I have driven it in mid-June and in the span of five minutes, the weather changed from intense thunder and lightning, to hail, and then snow! The alpine tundra, above tree line, and where this road takes you, is a wild and wonderful place.
In the midst of this “wildness” are wildflowers. Startling and breathtaking in their ability to survive in such harsh conditions, they are a perfect example of tenacity. Buried under snow for most of the year, they rush toward life in the four to six weeks they have every summer to fulfill their purpose. Every single bloom is a miracle.
Perhaps we can learn something from the tenacity of these alpine wildflowers. A lot of us go through life simply trying to survive. Many of us are buried under with work and perhaps the heavy responsibility of supporting ourselves and others, or trying to make a difference in a world that can be indifferent. Yet, like the wildflowers, we must claim the tenacity that we each possess. We must rush toward life and move beyond surviving to thriving.
Never Give Up
– Author unknown
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow–
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out–
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit–
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.
Albert Einstein, three rules of work:
- Out of clutter, find simplicity.
- From discord, find harmony.
- In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
Winston Churchill’s Famous Words
Winston Churchill said this on October 29, 1941, when he visited Harrow School. It was after the World War Blitz in England and things were looking up a bit for Britain. Here is the relevant part of the speech: “But for everyone, surely, what we have gone through in this period, surely from this period of ten months, this is the lesson: Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never — in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.
Be Tenacious, Never Give up.
At some point in the various journeys we embark on in our lives, we get to a part where we feel like giving up. Sometimes we give up before we even start and other times we give up just before we are about to make that huge break-through that we have been putting so much effort in to achieve.
Here is a list of 18 reasons why you should never give up:
1- As Long As You Are Alive Anything Is Possible
The only valid excuse you have to give up is if you are dead. As long as you are alive you have the choice to keep trying until you finally succeed. Ever heard the expression “ I’ll sleep when I’m dead!”
2- Be Realistic
The chance of mastering something the first time you do it is almost non-existent. Everything takes time to learn and you will make mistakes. Learn from them. Every mistake is an opportunity for success next time if you learn from it.
3- Michael Jordan
Arguably the best basketball player of all time. He attributes his success to all his failures. He just never gave up even when he knew he had missed over 300 shots and had missed the winning shot of the game many times. Every time he got knocked down he got back up again. You will miss 100% of the shots you never take!
4- Lance Armstrong
Lance was diagnosed with serious cancer that had spread throughout his entire body. He had cancer cells the size of golf balls in his lungs. Despite all odds he overcame the cancer and set out to win the Tour de France 6 Consecutive years in a row. Tenacity!
5- Muhammad Ali
“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”. Muhammad Ali is one of the best boxers the world has ever known. He suffered only 5 losses while having 56 wins and was the first boxer to win the lineal heavyweight championship three times. This is a guy who literally knew how to get knocked down and get back up.
6- The Man Who Created the Marathon
Very long ago an Athenian herald was sent to Sparta to get help when the Persians landed in Greece. It was said that he ran 240km in 2 days and after that he ran 40km to announce the victory of the Greeks only to collapse and die on the spot from exhaustion. Tenacity!
7- Chris Gardner – The Pursuit of Happiness
Have you seen the movie “The Pursuit of Happiness”? It is based on the life story of Chris Gardener, a man who went for the lowest of the lows in an environment where most people would give up (no money, no job) to the highest of the highs (A millionaire with his own investment firm). If you ever think about giving up, watch this movie!
8- Nelson Mandela
Campaigned for justice and freedom in his South Africa. Spent 20 years in jail for his opposition to apartheid. On release he healed the wounds of apartheid by his magnanimous attitude toward his former political enemies.
Tenacity!
9- You Are Strong
You are stronger than you think. One little setback is not enough to stop you from achieving your goals. Neither are 10 or 100 or 1000 setbacks.
10- Prove Yourself
You don’t want to be known as someone that is weak and gives up. Go out there and prove yourself to the world and to yourself. You CAN and WILL achieve what you set out to do. The only time you fail is when you give up.
11- Has It Been Done Before?
If someone else can do it then so can you. Even if it is only one other person in the world that has achieved what you have set out to achieve, that should be reason enough for you to never give up.
12- Believe In Your Dreams
Don’t sell yourself short. In life there are going to be many people who will try to bring you down and tell you what you want to achieve is not possible. Don’t let anyone destroy your dreams.
13- Your Family and Friends.
Let the people you love and who mean the world to you be your inspiration to persist and persevere. Maybe you need to try a different angle, study more or practice more but don’t give up!
14- There Are People Worse-Off
Right now there are many people who are in a worse situation and environment than you are right now. Are you thinking about giving up running 5 miles a week? Think about the people who are unable to even walk and how much they would give to be able to run 5 miles every day.
15- Let The Haters Hate
There will always be haters. There will always be plenty of nay sayers and people who try to tear you down. Don’t pay attention to them and don’t take what they say to heart. Let the haters hate and you keep believing in yourself.
16- You Deserve To Be Happy
Don’t ever let anybody tell you otherwise. You deserve to be happy and you deserve to have success. Keep that mindset and never give up until you reach your destination!
17- Inspire Others
Be an inspiration to others by refusing to give up. Who knows what someone else can achieve because you never gave up and in turn inspired them not to give up.
18- You Are So Close
Often when you feel like you want to give up and you are about to give up you are so close to making a huge break-thru. Seth Godin has written an awesome book about this called “The Dip” – a riveting read that teaches that at any given time you are always just a heartbeat away from success.
The Quitter
by Edgar A. Guest
Fate handed the quitter a bump, and he dropped
The road seemed too rough to go, so he stopped
He thought of his hurt, and there came to his mind
The easier path he was leaving behind
It’s all much too hard, said the quitter right then
I’ll stop where I am and not try it again
He sat by the road and he made up his tale
To tell when men asked why he happened to fail
A thousand excuses flew up to his tongue
And these on the thread of his story he strung
But the truth of the matter he didn’t admit
He never once said, I was frightened and quit
Whenever the quitter sits down by the road
And drops from the struggle to lighten his load
He can always recall to his own peace of mind
A string of excuses for falling behind
But somehow or other he can’t think of one
Good reason for battling and going right on
So, when the bump comes and fate hands you a jar
Don’t baby yourself, boy, whoever you are
Don’t pity yourself and talk over your woes
Don’t think up excuses for dodging the blows
But stick to the battle and see the thing through
And don’t be a quitter, whatever you do
Tenacity
Tenacity is the art of being Tenacious. You know the word right? Tenacious means persistent in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking something valued or desired according to Webster’s Dictionary. This is a word that screams success. The word tenacity at times says it all. If you want to be successful, get to know this word. Persistent in maintaining is a great way to sum up what it is going to take to find success in life.
As we all know life has a way of knocking us down, and I mean knocking everyone down and sometimes damn hard. Not just the person trying to find success, but even those who have already found it. There is an old saying: do not judge someone by how many times they have been knocked down, judge them by how many time they have gotten back up”.
The Challenge
Regularity, Tenacity and Perseverance: Criteria for Success
by Jean-Pierre Lauzier
Very often, people look for ideas that will bring them glory, riches and respect, but rare are those who find such exceptional ideas. In fact, experience shows us that it is not those that have better ideas who reap in the most success in the long term, but mostly the people who act with regularity, tenacity and perseverance in their actions.
For any project, dream or an objective to be able to take shape rapidly, you need two elements: developing a plan and executing it. The first step is to prepare a plan of action, one which is easy to accomplish. For example, if your objective is to run in a marathon, you will develop a phased plan over several months. If you are not sure of all the ingredients required in your plan for it to succeed, take help from an expert in endurance racing. Another example: if you dream of having your own company, detail out all the steps aimed at accomplishing this project into a plan of action. If you need help, consult a few business owners who have already launched their company successfully.
The second step represents the execution of your plan of action and this is the step where normally most people give up and get discouraged. Why? Often, because they have underestimated the number of obstacles to be overcome. Well, this is exactly the precise moment when they must display their courage and tenacity. Refrain from thinking that you do not have talent or luck like the others who have already achieved a lot of success before you. Keep in mind that those who have succeeded have very often faced the same difficulties as you.
In the beginning, when you move into the action with a view of achieving your objective, your efforts will probably give you little or no results, but what is important is that you must always try to do better and better, day by day, reminding yourself that a small step taken, every day, in the same direction will allow you, after a few months and few years, to achieve positive results. This approach of doing things should not be temporary, but must become a permanent way of life relevant to what you undertake.
Success is attainable to all those who make a decision to develop themselves through regularity, tenacity and perseverance, while performing the actions that bring them closer to their goal.
It is Michel-Ange who said: “If the people knew up to what point I have worked hard to develop my talent, they would not find me to be so exceptional.” Even Einstein, whom we consider to be the most intelligent person to have lived on our planet, has said, “It is not that I am so intelligent, it is just that I have spent the longest time with the problem.”
In order to improve your level of tenacity in what you undertake, here are five essential elements which will help you maintain regularity and perseverance in your actions:
- Do something that you are passionate about. If you work in a domain that you like or perform tasks that you enjoy, you will have a higher chance of succeeding.
- Fix an objective for yourself. You must support your action with a clear and precise objective. This objective must be present with you on all days, as much intellectually as emotionally.
- You must believe that you are capable. Read books or listen to audio CDs dealing with personal development. This should convince you that you have all the ingredients to succeed.
- Improve your action plan all the time. Try to do better and better, day by day and more and more. Do not hesitate to take advice from people who have already realized the same dream or achieved the same objectives as you.
- Identify the reasons for which you want to achieve your objective. The “Why” is more important than achieving the goals themselves. So, take the time to think of the “Why”. You are responsible for 100% of your success and you must not allow external elements such as your family, your boss, the temperature, luck, government, etc stop you from realizing your dream. It is up to you to take charge of yourself. It is possible that all this will scare you and with good reason, but it is up to you to decide to “live your dreams” rather than “live your fears”.
You will perhaps find it a bit painful in the beginning to adopt this approach due to the loss that you will suffer, but if you pick yourself up, this loss will be temporary and will become the biggest source of learning to succeed. So, implement your action plan aiming to achieve what you want and show regularity, tenacity and perseverance in your actions. Sooner or later you will notice that your progress has allowed you to reach at the door of your dreams and to enter it.
